Ramie-decorticator.



No. 877,983. PATENTED FEB. 4, 1908.

H. J. BOEKEN. RAMIBDEUORTIOATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1906. v

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No. 877,983. PATENTED FEB. 4, 1908.

H. J. BOB-KEN. RAMIE DEGORTIGATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24. 1906.

3 SHEETS.SHBET 3.

ZU/i/trwsses: v Imnentor: 3%? M. ubert .IBoeken P r/(Mn, fling 'r is Attorney.

HUBERT J. BOEKEN, OF DUEREN, GERMANY.

RAMIE-DECORTICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1908.

Application filed July 24 1906. Serial No. 327.511.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUBERT J. BonKEN, civil engineer, a subject of the King of Prussia, residing at Dueren, Rhineland, No. 6 Hohenzollernstrasse, in the Kingdom of Prussia, Empire of Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ramie-Decorticators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to decorticators and more particularly to a decorticator designed for detaching the rind from the stalks of the different varieties of the ramie plant to which end the stalks are fed length- Wise by feed-rollers through a guide-slot formed by rigid lips and upon leaving said slot are broken or nicked across the lower longitudinal edges of said rigid lips by teeth oscillating in front of said two lips in a manner to detach the rind from the woody substance of said stalks and at the same time eliminate the broken or nicked woody and pithy parts thereof.

In the accompanying drawings :*Figure 1 is a side view of the decorticator, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line A-B of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the adjustable connection between one of the motion-links and one of the rocker-arms employed for oscillating the knifelike decorticating teeth. Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view taken on line CD of Fig. 3.

The frame 1 of the decorticator consists of the side-parts 2 and 3 rigidly connected with each other by means of thestay-rods 4. In the rear end of the frame 1 is journaled. the driving-shaft 5 provided with a fly-Wheel 6, a spur-wheel 7 and a chain-wheel 8, of which the spur-wheel 7 serves to impart motion to the oscillating teeth 9 and 10, and the chain- Wheel 8 to drive the means for feeding the ramie-stalks 1.1 towards said oscillating teeth.

On rotating the driving-shaft 5 by means of the crank-handle 12 of the fly-wheel 6, the spur-wheel 7 will transmit its motion to the spur-wheel 13 of the intermediate shaft 14 and to the spur-wheel 15 likewise seated on the intermediate shaft 14. The spur-Wheel 15 meshes with the pinion 16 of the second intermediate shaft 17 which carries at its free ends eccentrics 18 surrounded by the strap-ends of the motion-links 19. The free ends of these links are provided with pins 20,

which may be adjusted in the slots 21 of the rocker-arms 22 seated on the shaft 23 to regulate the throw of the teeth 9 and 10. This shaft 23 is j ournaled in the brackets 24 arranged on the front-side of the frame 1 and carries two arms 25 provided with concentric faces to which the blunt-edged knifelike teeth 9 and 10 are secured. It is evident that by means of this arrangement the teeth 9 and 10 are compelled to oscillate when the driving-shaft 5 is rotated, and that the degree of this oscillating motion can be altered at will by changing the position of the pins 20 in the slots 21 of the rockerarms 22.

On top of the frame 1 a table or platform 26 is arranged and in front of it the feed-rollers 27 28 and 29. Of these feed-rollers the roller 27 is journaled in the side-parts 2 and 3 of the frame 1 and its fixed shaft 30 carries a spur wheel 31 and a chain wheel 32, of which the latter receives its motion from the chain-wheel 8 by means of the chain 33. Vertically over the feed-roller 27 the vertically movable feed-roller 28 is arranged. The ends of the shaft 34 of this feed-roller are journaled in bearing-boxes 35 which slide'in guide-- slots 36 of the side-parts 2 and 3. These slots are closed at their upper ends by caps 37 of which each is provided with a pin 38 to retain a pressure-spring 39, by means of which springs the feed-roller 28 is continually pressed downward, whereas its rotation is caused by the friction of the stalks 11 advanced by the feed-rollers 27 and 29. The feed-roller 29 is arranged in front of the feedrollers 27 and 28, as shown in Fig. 1, and receives its motion from the spur-wheel 31 of the shaft 30 of the feed-roller 27, which spurwheel meshes with the spur-wheel 40 secured to the shaft 41 of the feed-roller 29. In advance of the feed-rollers 27 and 29 two rigid lips 42 and 43 are firmly secured to the side-parts of the frame 1 and arranged, in a manner to form a guide-slot 44 for the guidance of the stalks 11.

If now the ramie-stalks are placed on the table 26 and the driving-shaft 5 set in rotation, the stalks ll will be fed by means of the feed-rollers 27, 28 and 29 through the guide-slot 44 and upon leaving the latter will pass between the teeth 9 and 10 which through their oscillating action will alternately break or nick said stalks across the lower longitudinal edges of the lips 42 and 43 in such a manner, that the rind is completely separated from the woody parts of the stalks but not injured. The woody and pithy parts of said stalks are hereby broken up into small pieces, which through the uninterrupted oscillating action of the teeth 9 and 10 are separated from each other and shaken off the detached rind. The rind of the stalks thus detached from the woody parts of the ramie stalks may then be removed by hand or automatically.

I claim 1. In a ramie-decorticator the combination of a stalk-feeding device, rigid lips forming with their opposing faces a guide-slot and with their outer side-faces a concave surface, knifelike teeth facing each other and oscillating adjacent said concave surface, and means for regulating the degree of oscillation of said teeth, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a rarnie-decorticator the combination of a stalk-feeding-device, rigid lips forming with their opposing faces a guide-slot adjacent said feeding device and with their outer side-faces a uniformly curved concave surface, blunt-edged knifelike teeth facing each other and oscillating adjacent said concave surface, adjustable means for regulating the throw of said oscillating teeth, and means for operating said feeding device and said oscillatlng teeth, substantially as shown.

and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HUBERT J. BOEKEN.

WVitnesses HENRY QUADFLIEG, EMMA KAI-IR. 

